In 2012 Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. agreed to plead guilty to charges in US federal court and pay $4.5million in fines in two incidents that date to 2008. Court documents state that, from November 2005 to March 2008, Scotts distributed 73 million units of birdseed coated with insecticides called Storcide II and Actellic 5E. This was done to keep insects from eating the seeds during storage. Scotts continued to sell the products despite warnings from a pesticide chemist and an ornithologist in 2007, both of whom worked for the company. Also in 2008, Federal EPA officials discovered that Scotts was selling lawn and garden products with falsified pesticide registrations.

The Organic Consumers Association's (OCA) and allies has called for a boycott of all Scotts' products. At the request of Scotts Miracle-Gro, the USDA has created a new class of genetically engineered plants, animals and animal drugs that won't have to undergo any government regulation or review. Scotts' new gene-altered lawn grass is 'RoundUp Ready', which will result in a drastic increase in the use of the pesticide in neighborhoods, parks, schoolyards and golf courses, increasing the public's exposure to a toxin that causes endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and cancer, as well as birth defects. Scotts markets Monsanto's Roundup products in the USA.

In 2022 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$61,592. The CEO was paid 133 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.

This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.

In 2023, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change score of C.

OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.

This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 45/100 in the Chemicals category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 18 Nov 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.

JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2024 rankings the public identified 20 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 392nd of 937 companies, and 18th of 28 Chemicals companies.